Simon Says

[Editor's Note: Many years ago I met Simon Levin at a pottery conference at Arrowmont. We all went out and had some dinner and spent the evening in stitches, laughing. Simon's wit is unmatched. So when I thought about inviting other folks to join in the blogging fun here I immediately thought of Simon.Simon is not only a great potter, father, and husband, he also dishes out some great advice. If there is something really troubling you or a universal truth that you are in doubt of, maybe Simon can help. Just drop Simon an email and maybe he can sort things out for you in a future edition of "Simon Says". Without further ado, here are our first "callers" ...]

Dear Simon Says,My boyfriend seems to be paying less and less attention to me. We hardly even fight any more. Any Suggestions?

-Living with Apathy

Dear LWA,

I think you need something to fight about. We need to fill our lives with things we are passionate about. There is nothing like a good mug like one by Ayumi Horie, or Karl Borgeson to start a row. "Where's Karl?" "You got to use the Ayumi last time!" Or what about a lovely Julia Galloway mug? "Who left Julia all dirty and in the bathroom?" I mean good pots are great fodder for arguments. Its a rich mine for passionate discussion. So go out there LWA and buy some sweet crockery to fire up the relationship.

-Simon

Dear Simon Says,Since getting married I have gained some weight. My wife is constantly teasing me about my love handles. Sometimes she will even say "You're fat"! She knows how this hurts my feelings. What should I do?

-Chubby Hubby

Dear Chubby Hubby,Your letter really spoke to me. I too love handles. Linda Christianson makes such a great one, or what about Josh DeWeese's; you could hardly get looser than that. And on the flip side Pete Pinnell's are tight but oh so elegant. You know good handles, ones you can really enjoy are deceptively hard to make. They should be appreciated. It took me a long time to develop my handles.

josh deweese pitcher

linda christianson basket/vase

pete pinnellewer

I am not sure what your point is about fat shinos (although I am pretty sure it is spelled shino not She-knows). On the right pot they can speak about generosity of material, but they can crawl and cause problems.

I suggest you fill a nice Tara Wilson pitcher with beer, drink out of a Kristin Keiffer mug and think about their handles. Or perhaps you could bake a nice artichoke cheese dip in Linda's casserole with the side handles and nosh a little while you contemplate the quiet beauty of a good handle.

--Simon

Simon Levin is a regular contributor to Sawdust and Dirt. He lives and makes pots in Gresham, WI. If you have questions for Simon he can be reached at simon@sawdustanddirt.com